SERVICES
Forensic Interviews
What Is a Forensic Interview?
The structured conversation between a child and Hope Haven's interviewer is intended to document and record detailed information about an event that the child may have witnessed or experienced. The goal is to aid in ensuring the safety of the individual child as well as other children in the community.
Forensic services are provided in a safe environment within Hope Haven where the forensic interviewer and the child's conversation is audio and video recorded. Our staff has been professionally trained in the Forensic Interview model and conducts interviews in a supportive and non-leading manner.
How Does a Forensic Interview Help a Child?
The benefit of having a forensic interview is to reduce the stress and pain the child endures having to retell a traumatic experience while producing an objective and legally defensible statement. The interview recordings can be reviewed by agencies involved in the investigation, including law enforcement and child protective services.
How Many Forensic Interviews Are Conducted Each Year?
Hope Haven conducts approximately 250 forensic interviews annually.
Family Advocate
What Is a Family Advocate?
A Family Advocate ensures that children and families get the culturally-sensitive support, education and resources they need to help them overcome the trauma of abuse.
Each client family is counseled before and after a forensic interview to ensure they fully understand the process. Hope Haven’s Family Advocate guides them through the day at the center and explains the investigation and legal process, in addition to facilitating collaboration among other Social Service organizations involved with the client.
How Does a Family Advocate Help Families?
The Family Advocate listens to caregivers’ concerns and informs them about the dynamics of sexual abuse and the effects of trauma. The Family Advocate plays a critical role in connecting clients with resources in the community to address needs including domestic violence, housing, clothing, food, financial assistance, legal assistance, caregivers’ mental health and medical needs.
They also provide crisis stabilization, complete a screening tool to assess children’s mental health and provide linkages to mental health services as needed.
Family advocates maintain contact with clients on their path to healing and continue to empower them to obtain the resources and services they need to lead healthy lives.
Counseling Services
How Do Counseling Services Benefit Children?
As a Child Advocacy Center, our organization implements Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), an evidenced based model demonstrated to decrease the impact of childhood trauma. Our community partner counselors have received extensive, specialized training in the use of the TF-CBT model.
Hope Haven provides referrals and coordinates counseling services free of charge to children who have received forensic interviews.
Parenting Class
What is Active Parenting
The Active Parenting Program is the world's first video based education series built for parents and families to learn how to survive and thrive in our fast changing world.
Being a parent is more than just providing the 4 walls: food, shelter, clothing, and transportation. Successful parenting requires parents to take an active role in their children's development.
We are here to prepare and support families through "every step, every stage" of their child's development.
Course Topics
- Parenting For All Ages & Stages
- Step-Parenting
- Divorce
- School Success
- Character Education
- Raising Children in a Changing World
- Role of Parents
Classes
If you or your organization are interested in participating in our Active Parenting classes, please contact us at 228-466-6395 for further information and enrollment.
501(c)3 Non Profit Organization
EIN: 64-0852491
Hope Haven
Address: PO Box 3777, Bay St. Louis, MS 39521
Hours: Monday - Thursday 8am-4:30pm, Friday 8am-12pm
Phone: +12284666395
Email: info@hopehavencac.org
Hope Haven Children's Advocacy Center does not discriminate or refuse services on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, height, weight, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status.
This policy also applies to internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, terminations, outside vendors, organization members and customers, service clients, use of contractors and consultants, and dealings with the general public.
If you believe you have been unlawfully denied any services, employment opportunity, or otherwise discriminated against by an employer in violation of Title VII, you should contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC may be contacted by calling 1-800-669-4000 or 1-800-669-6820 (TTY).
© 2024 by Hope Haven Children's Advocacy Center.